Lonely Sleepless Nights
by UniqueAsterisk
Summary: M'gann never knew she'd miss him this much. Conner never thought he'd have to stay away. A one-shot set after the breakup.


**Author Notes: I've had this idea since _Earthlings_ and now I finally wrote it. This story is set just after Conner and M'gann broke up, maybe a week or two after he ended it. I hope you enjoy and please review. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. It belongs to DC Comics and Cartoon Network.**

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**Lonely Sleepless Nights**

She cried herself to sleep most nights.

Without him… It all felt wrong.

By now though, it was routine.

M'gann waited every night. Just a few extra minutes before she fell asleep. Waiting, hoping, _praying_ to hear his voice.

He used to say, "I love you."

Every night. Just before she fell asleep.

He'd think it in his mind or say it out loud. Send it to her through the night or speak it in a whisper. Back when they were almost always in mental contact or just close enough to touch.

But she always preferred when he thought it for her to feel, because it just made her feel closer to him. It made her feel like they were connected, for now and forever.

She didn't know how wrong she was.

But back then, she'd say it back and then she'd be asleep and she could dream of him until morning.

He didn't even say "Good night," anymore.

But she still waited, every night, hoping he might say it. She just needed to hear it one more time. One _last _time.

And when his voice didn't come – when she didn't hear his thoughts, the gentle touch of his mind against hers – she took a deep breath.

She sat on the edge of her bed, taking in her room in the Cave. The room she'd lived in since she'd joined the Team. Since she'd met him.

And she sat there alone. Thinking about Conner. About how much she missed him. And everything she would do to get him back.

She knew that there was no way that would ever happen, though. He was too far gone. _She_ was too far gone.

But she could dream.

She could lie to herself if she wanted to.

After all, she'd lied to everyone else.

"I love you, Conner," she whispered to herself. Trying to fill the silence with a lost memory.

Then she lay down, turned off her bedside lap, and wrapped the blankets tightly around herself.

At first she was fine. She tried to sleep. She tried…

But lonely nights never helped anyone to rest easily.

In the night, her mind wandered. She thought of him. She_ always_ thought of him. That was when the tears started, when she remembered just how much she'd always loved him. She'd fallen for him, for his blue eyes and strong arms, the minute she'd walked into the Cave.

Even after she'd discovered how damaged he was, how many bad memories and torn thoughts he carried around inside himself, she hadn't cared. He was heroic and strong and brave. And once she'd gotten to really know him, she saw that he was also smart and kind and funny and sweet.

He wasn't perfect. No one was. But she didn't care. Because he'd loved her. Every crazy, messed up side of her. And she had loved him with ever inch of her scarred heart.

She still did.

And the silent tears streamed down her face at the thought of every smile he'd ever saved for her. Every time he'd wrapped his arms around her. Every time he'd brushed her hair out of face just so he could touch her cheek and look into her eyes.

She missed that. She missed _him_.

When, she finally fell asleep, it wasn't peaceful. She wished every morning that the nightmares would just end.

She dreamed of Conner.

But they were no longer the teenage fantasies of sunsets and star filled skies and long nights spent in his arms.

Instead, they were terrifying.

She was in her true form. Her skin ghostly pale in the darkness. The blackness pressed down around her, threatening to strangle her in its embrace.

Then came Conner, and just for a moment she felt hopeful. He was here. Everything would be alright, again. She felt safe as he walked toward her.

But before she could even reach out to him, he stopped cold.

And then she saw his eyes. His beautifully perfect sky blue eyes that saw straight through all of her walls. This time though, they didn't look sweet and kind and filled with love. They looked hurt. They looked disappointed. Disappointed in _her_.

And without a word, he walked away. He turned his back on her and headed into the darkness, leaving her alone.

She cried out his name, but he didn't even pause. He didn't stop. He didn't come back for her.

In reality, she was lying in her bed, tossing and turning. Trying to break free from her dreams, but unable to run away from her own mind.

She said his name in her sleep.

A whisper at first. Pleading him to turn around. To look at her.

Then a little louder. Just trying to get him to notice her. To come back for her.

Eventually, it all became too much, and she was screaming. Calling out his name. Crying for him to save her. To save her from the monsters and the demons and everything else she'd trapped and hidden away in her mind. Everything that had made her what she was.

She screamed until her voice broke.

But he didn't turn around. He didn't come back for her. He didn't look back. Not even once.

And then, when she was utterly and completely alone in the darkness; when her heart was shattered into a thousand more pieces than it already had been. That was when she woke up.

Tears streaming down her face and his name still on her lips.

Her heart pounded against her chest. Her breathing was shallow.

"He didn't come," she croaked out quietly.

Not even she knew whether she was talking about the dream or reality.

After a minute, she laid back down and tried to sleep again. She knew it wouldn't work, but she had to try. She had to at least make an attempt to be well rested by the morning.

What she didn't know was that down the hall, in a small bedroom, there was a lonely clone lying awake, listening to her screams.

He clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. He tried not to punch the wall. He tried not to break anything or lash out at the world at large because of her pain.

It took all of his willpower not to run to her room and hug her.

All of his willpower not to tell her it was okay and that it was only a dream.

All of his willpower not to hold her until they both fell asleep.

It took all of his strength not to leave his room.

Because that empty space beside her wasn't his anymore.

Life had decided to work against them.

He wasn't allowed to love her.

No matter how much he wanted to.

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**Author Notes: What did you think? Don't forget to tell me! Reviews, as always, are very much appreciated.**


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